REFLECT ON WHAT OTHERS HAVE LEARNT, VIDEO RESOURCES
Why try to reinvent the wheel? The issues many business owners face have been experienced by others before and in all likelihood will be encountered by many more in the future who have not run a business before. In this section you will find a selection of videos about some of the most common issues. These short videos generally apply classical business management models which pioneered the concept and aim to explain what others have learnt before.
THE UPS AND DOWNS OF GROWING A BUSINESS
Excitement, apprehension, relief, confidence, overwhelmed and pride are all feelings business owners have at various times, as their business grows. They are not alone; most business owners experience these feelings at similar stages of growth. Find out if what you are experiencing now is the same as your peers by watching this short video.
STRATEGIES TO MANAGE GROWTH
As a business grows, the number of people involved grows as well. Different strategies can be used to manage the staff as various crisis occur. The crisis points can be recognised if you know what you are looking for and a new strategy implemented before the crisis becomes a big issue. Find out what the crisis are and what strategies can be used to avoid them by watching this short video.
CHANGING THE WAY THINGS ARE DONE, THE CULTURAL PARADIGM
People’s behaviour is influenced as they grow up by different experiences. Each business has behaviours which can be analysed by looking at six elements, known as the cultural paradigm. As a business grows, elements of a business culture must change so the business can function effectively. Find out which elements make up an organisations culture and which need to change as a business grows by watching this short video.
WORKER TO BUSINESS PERSON, MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTS
Often the owners of micro businesses can be found working extremely hard and putting in long hours. They are not earning as much as they could if they worked for someone else. At the end of their financial year, they meet with their accountant and sign off the accounts for filing. They feel they are missing something, but their accountant does not offer a solution as they have been employed to do their statutory financial accounts only. The answer might be in this short video about a separate set of accounts which you should use as a manager.
MANAGING THE PIPELINE - MARKETING SEGMENTATION AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Daily we are all exposed to Business to Consumer, B2C, marketing. But applying the same methods to Business to Business, B2B marketing will fail. Especially with construction, where payments are large and there are relatively few organisations who can afford the payments. Gaining work can be broken down into steps, every step is there for a reason, and cannot be missed. Before you take a step, you must be sure that you have done your market segmentation. Find out how to do your segmentation and what business development steps are needed in this short video.
AVOIDING THE PRICING RACE TO THE BOTTOM
On occasions everyone has been involved in the race to the bottom, believing that a lower price will secure a project and then go on to lose money on the project. There is an alternative method. It takes nerves initially but will lead to profitable projects with enlightened clients. By being selective about what you bid and then benchmarking your pricing, profitable projects can be enjoyed. Watch this video for an overview of the method.
TURNING A BUSINESS INTO A WELL-OILED MACHINE - GETTING ORGANISED
The founder of a business has a lot going on in their head but as soon as there are other people involved some organisation must be introduced to save time, reduce stress and allow time for the founder to spend time working on the business and not all their time in it. Find out what you should consider when you are starting to get organised by watching this short video.
MANAGING STAFF - THE EMPLOYMENT CYCLE
Enlightened business owners say their most valuable asset is their people. Getting the right people around the leader undoubtedly propels a business forward. Managing people is not easy, but there are many processes which can help. The employment cycle can be broken down into phases. Recognising the stages and which specialists to call upon is a good starting place. Watch this short video on the employment cycle to either find out what the stages are or review if you have them all covered.
KEEPING ON TRACK
There is one constant, change. Whilst you may have set goals, or Key Performance Indicators, KPI’s, progress towards them must be reviewed along the way. The Balanced Score Card, BSC, is one method which has the advantage of setting KPI’s which cover all parts of a business equally. Watch this short video for an introduction to the BSC and a system for working out the intervals of when the KPI’s should be reviewed.
SELLING YOUR BUSINESS
Put your self in the position of a buyer for your business, what would you look for? The chances are, a strong reliable pipeline, sound finances and minimal risks. Not surprisingly a business which would be easy to sell is also one that is easy to manage. Watch this short video to find out which seven drivers will make your business attractive, and an easy one to manage.
If, "You don't know what you don't know", why not not seek the help of a mentor?
Find out how we can bring our wealth of experience and network connections to assist you rapidly resolve the business issues you face or are unsure about. Most issues have occured before, so why reinvent the wheel trying to resolve them? An experienced mentor can help you, and probably offer the pro's and con's of several options.